I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer modeling and management of systems and, more particularly, to an energy management systems for monitoring and managing the cost, quality and reliability of an electrical power system.
II. Background
Computer models of complex systems enable improved system design, development, and implementation through techniques for off-line simulation of system operation. That is, system models can be created on computers and then “operated” in a virtual environment to assist in the determination of system design parameters. All manner of systems can be modeled, designed, and operated in this way, including machinery, factories, electrical power and distribution systems, processing plants, devices, chemical processes, biological systems, and the like. Such simulation techniques have resulted in reduced development costs and superior operation.
Design and production processes have benefited greatly from such computer simulation techniques, and such techniques are relatively well developed, but they have not been applied in real-time, e.g., for real-time operational monitoring and management. In addition, predictive failure analysis techniques do not generally use real-time data that reflect actual system operation. Greater efforts at real-time operational monitoring and management would provide more accurate and timely suggestions for operational decisions, and such techniques applied to failure analysis would provide improved predictions of system problems before they occur.
That is, an electrical network model that can age and synchronize itself in real-time with the actual facility's operating conditions is critical to obtaining predictions that are reflective of the system's reliability, availability, health and performance in relation to the life cycle of the system. Static systems simply cannot adjust to the many daily changes to the electrical system that occur at a facility (e.g., motors and pumps switching on or off, changes to on-site generation status, changes to utility electrical feed . . . etc.) nor can they age with the facility to accurately predict the required indices. Without a synchronization or aging ability, reliability indices and predictions are of little value as they are not reflective of the actual operational status of the facility and may lead to false conclusions. With such improved techniques, operational costs and risks can be greatly reduced.
For example, mission critical electrical systems, e.g., for data centers or nuclear power facilities, must be designed to ensure that power is always available. Thus, the systems must be as failure proof as possible, and many layers of redundancy must be designed in to ensure that there is always a backup in case of a failure. It will be understood that such systems are highly complex, a complexity made even greater as a result of the required redundancy. Computer design and modeling programs allow for the design of such systems by allowing a designer to model the system and simulate its operation. Thus, the designer can ensure that the system will operate as intended before the facility is constructed.
As with all analytical tools, predictive or otherwise, the manner in which data and results are communicated to the user is often as important as the choice of analytical tool itself. Ideally, the data and results are communicated in a fashion that is simple to understand while also painting a comprehensive and accurate picture for the user. For example, graphical displays (e.g., two-dimensional and three-dimensional views) of the operational aspects of an electrical system greatly enhances the ability of a system operator, owner and/or executive to understand the health and predicted performance of the electrical system.
Moreover, the unremitting rise in the costs of generating and/or procuring energy necessitates pro-actively and intelligently managing energy through technological solutions that allow energy to be treated as a business critical commodity that can be managed in real-time while also extending the tools that electrical system/network owners and operators need to observe, comprehend and manage the cost, quality and reliability of energy.
Currently, no solution exists that provide a facility owner, administrator and/or operator with an instant view of the real-time, predicted and/or historical energy consumption profile of an electrical system, the cost of energy, the cost of losses and the cost of running the electrical system inefficiently.